budgeting

It’s the beginning of the year and this is a good time to reflect and think about how you want the rest of your year (life) to go. I’ve realized that adjustments had to be made and planning is key. If taking a leap of faith and starting a new career, pursing a passion, or making a big decision is part of your plans this year, I have a few lifestyle adjustments that I had to make that helped me gear up for that challenge. (Learn about my leap of faith here.)

1. I became a DIYer– Everything from doing my own nails, to hair, to spa treatments. After seeing that I spent almost $500 at the nail salon in one year, I figured that it’s a good thing I can cut back on and learned how to do dip powder nails myself (another thing that motivated that was how damaged my nails became because of all of the drilling that was done on them). I used this time as self-care. The more I focused on doing these things myself, the better I got. Sometimes people would ask where I got things done.

2. I got better at cooking– Not everyone likes to cook. I was one of them. I didn’t force myself to start cooking, it just happened. I actually wanted to get better at cooking, so one day I just grabbed a recipe, got some ingredients, turned on some music and started cooking. I always cooked with music, that really helped and then it became theraputic and I started looking forward to it. I’m a creative, so I started experimenting with different dishes and I ended up getting really good at it. Then I started implementing healthy options and was able to bargain shop healthy food….yes, it’s possible. My weekly groceries were hardly ever over $40 a week, including breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snacks.

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3. I got a roommate– This was really a great way to save for me. To be able to cut my household expenses in half I was able to save and invest more into my leap. My goals were more important than being able to walk around naked like I was used to. I’ve learned that you have to get uncomfortable to get to where you want to go and shaking up your living situation may do just that, but finding a way that works for you is key.

4. Reduced bills and put it towards saving– Taking the extra money from getting a roommate and reducing bills and going to buy a new bag wasn’t really the goal in cutting the expenses in half. I allocated the extra funds towards my mission….whether it was saving or investing in resources that I needed for the journey.

5. Thrift shopping– I was looking at my wardrobe and it just wasn’t going to work for where I was headed. It suited my current life and job, but not my future ambitions. It was a daunting task to think of doing all of these things to save and invest, then buying a whole new sparkly wardrobe. My friend, Sara, introduced me to thrift shopping and I got hooked. Almost my entire wardrobe became thrifted clothes. At the time, I had to get really good at this. I learned the areas that had good items, their sales days, the days they put out new items. I also sold back some of the clothes that I wasn’t wearing anymore and used that money towards other thrifted clothes. I still thrift shop, but now I incorporate newer pieces as well.

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These adjustments have helped me to save, improve my lifestyle, and also keep me creative. Let me know if you’ve you found some ways to budget for the next level.